“To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves”- Mahatma Gandhi

The varied agro-climatic conditions allow growing of variety of Horticultural crops in the state. The state thus enjoys a natural comparative advantage for Horticulture with possibilities for growing a diversified basket of fruits, vegetables, flowers, plantation crops, spices, tuber crops and mushroom whose potential has not been fully exploited. Thus, Horticulture Sector plays an important role in the State by being an important source of the State economy and also a source of livelihood for a substantial portion of the population of our State.

Recognizing the immense potential that Horticulture had to offer to the State, our Visionary Leaders envisioned the creation of a separate Horticulture Department which was earlier only a sub-wing of the Agriculture Department. The efforts and hard work of our visionary Leaders paid off and thus, on the 1st of April 1992, a separate full-fledged Department of Horticulture was formed from the parent Agriculture Department with Dr. K. Chuba Ao, who was also the man behind the formation of the Department as its 1st Director.

Such was the beginning of a journey – a journey full of challenges and struggles yet; fulfilling and overwhelming. The Department was faced with the challenging task of bringing about the holistic development of Horticulture in the State and helping the horticultural farmers in the State achieve the increasing yield potential so as to maximize their profits while at the same time, struggling to bring about awareness in the potential of the Horticultural Sector amongst the non-horticultural farmers and convincing them to take up horticultural crops as a full time activity and that too, with a handful of Officers and f Staff which was an arduous task. The Department celebrated its 25th Year Anniversary on the 27th of April 2017 which was graced by the Honb’le Governor of Nagaland, Shri. P.B. Acharya as the Chief Guest at a grand and befitting programme at the Capital Convention Centre, Kohima. Such an event called for a retrospect and reminiscences of the past 25 years down Memory lane, the Department cannot help but feel grateful to all the past Officers and Staff who rendered their services so relentlessly and with full dedication to the Department and has been instrumental in making the Horticulture sector one of the fastest growing enterprises and the Department of Horticulture, a force to reckon with.

Today, Horticulture Sector continues to remain as one of the main backbone of the State’s economy and the State continues to mesmerize the world with its rich treasure trove of horticultural crops like the Naga Mircha, Naga Tree Tomato, Naga Pineapple and a host of other horticultural crops and the Department continues to strive forward in improving the overall nutritional and economic status of the farmers of the State and contribute towards a sustainable Agriculture for an environmentally, socially and economically sound Society today, tomorrow and forever.